Use about 1/4” (. 6cm) of oil, or enough to float the eggplant pieces in a skillet. Peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil are good choices for deep frying. Do not use olive oil, as it cannot be heated to a high temperature.
Tap the eggplant slices on the side of the flour bowl to remove excess flour. Make sure each piece is thoroughly coated in flour. For an extra-thick batter, coat each piece in egg and flour, then coat them a second time in egg and flour.
Don’t overfill the pan. Fry one layer of eggplant slices at a time, and repeat with an additional batch if necessary.
Fried eggplant gets soggy if it sits too long. It should be eaten right away, while it’s still hot. Try serving fried eggplant with marinara sauce or tzatziki.
Stir-frying is done with a very small amount of oil. Use no more than a tablespoon. Heat the oil until it is very hot, just before it smokes is ideal.
As an alternative, use the broiler in your oven.
Eggplant can be cut in half, cut in chunks or made into a fan shape for baking. Generally the peel is left on when the eggplant is halved to hold it together after cooking. When eggplant is to be cut into pieces for a recipe it is generally peeled first.
Use 2 parts water to 1 part eggplant pieces. If you’re boiling the eggplant whole, use enough water to submerge the entire eggplant.
If you’re boiling a whole eggplant, poke holes in the skin to keep the eggplant from exploding before you add it to the water.
